State of Agriculture in Northumberland. 



189 



ment from their masters ; and in this way the great majority of this 

 class of our population come to the end of their days without having 

 once suffered the degradation of being on the list of parish paupers. 



" Perhaps the foregoing statements may be best proved by annexing 

 a list of the servants, being householders, at this time resident upon a 

 considerable farm* in Northumberland, with a table showing the length 

 of time that each has lived under the same master, and the sum of 

 money that remained due to each at the half-yearly settlement of their 

 accounts at Martinmas last (11th November), being a surplus, arising 

 from the labour of all the members of the families who remained at 

 home, which they had not found it necessary to call for in the course of 

 the half-year, but lefc in their master's hands till the final settlement of 

 the half-year's account : — , 







Cash due upon 





Years' 



his account at 





Service. 



Martinmas. 







£. s. d. 



Georgre Cranston 



. 25 



8 3 61 



Alexander Tunnah . 



. 12 



15 0 41 



John Red path . 



1 



9 7 Hi 



Samuel Ewart . 



. 30 



5 5 91 



Andrew Gray , 



. 9 



7 14 41 



Andrew Elliott . 



. 14 



23 2 2' 



Thomas Robson 



4 



4 3 11 



James Cranston 



. 20 



6 12 41 



Andrew Young 



. 12 



7 2 51 



Edward Davison 



. 15 



5 15 1 



George Chirnside 



. 10 



5 16 7 



John Middlemas 



3 



4 9 101 



Thomas FuUerton . 



18 in debt to his m; 



£. s, d. 



laster 7 9 8 



Average 13 years. 



In the case of Thomas Fullerton, who, instead of having money due 

 to him, stood indebted to his master in the sum of 7/. ^s. Sd., it is neces- 

 sary to remark, that he had had the misfortune to lose a valuable cow 

 by death ; and being unable to purchase another, having a large family, 

 was favoured by his master with the loan of 10/. to enable him to do so, 

 which loan, it is understood, he is to pay off by instalments, or as he 

 can afford ; which, as his family gets up to be useful, he will have it in 



* " In the township in which the farm referred to is situated, the poor s 

 and county-rates amount to Is. 3d. per pound per annum on the rack-rent. 

 The greatest portion of the poor's-rate, however, is occasioned by the inha- 

 bitants of a village, containing some tradespeople and artisans, who obtain 

 settlements by servitude or occupation ; and a very small proportion indeed 

 by the agricultural population. The writer never knew an instance of a 

 regularly-hired farm-servant, or hind, applying for parochial aid in time of 

 health, however large his family ; and though, in the case of widows and 

 orphans, assistance must be given, we would say that in townships where 

 the population is purely agricultural, 6d. in the pound would cover, on an 

 average, the amount of the poor s-rate.'' 



